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Samsung Galaxy S5 overview: Joint leader in DxOMark Mobile rankings

Overview

Achieving an excellent DxOMark Mobile score of 79 points, the Samsung Galaxy S5 doesn’t disappoint and ties in first place for the coveted top spot with the Sony Xperia Z2.

Like the rival Sony handset Samsung’s new Android Kitkat (4.4.2) powered smartphone boasts a water and dust-resistant case and optional UHD (4K movie clips). Equipped with a slightly extended 5.1-inch SuperAMOLED 1920x1020 pixel screen than its predecessor the GS5 adopts one of the most talked about features of the Apple iPhone 5s…a fingerprint scanner for security and verifying certain payments.

In addition Samsung is keen to support a healthier lifestyle by including a built-in heart rate sensor and has improved the S Health app and personal fitness tracker. But it is of course the new 16-Mpix camera complete with video that’s of interest to us here at DxOMark.

From our industry-standard tests the GS5 has reliable auto-exposure in difficult outdoor lighting. Also it has fast and accurate autofocus in the camera’s ‘trigger-mode’, though noticeably less so in the standard auto-mode. Still images retain a high level of detail in the frame center. The corners are however slightly blurry. Noise levels are well controlled in low-light, albeit then with a noticeable loss of detail.

The Samsung GS5 is ranked joint first overall with the Sony Xperia Z2.

For video, from our tests, the GS5 is the best performing handset tested to date, achieving a DxOMark Mobile Video score of 79 points, up 6 points on the Sony Xperia Z2.

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

The S5 is the latest model in Samsung's line of Galaxy S flagship smartphones and replaces last year's Galaxy S4. The new model's camera comes with a slightly larger 1/2.6-inch CMOS BSI sensor and an increased pixel-count of 16MP (up from the S4's 13MP) but the maximum aperture remains unchanged at F2.2. Like its phablet sibling the Galaxy Note III, the S5 offers 4K video capture but has to make do without an optical image stabilization system.

The Galaxy S5 is Samsung's latest flagship smartphone and successor to the Galaxy S4. It comes with a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor, an F2.2 maximum aperture, 4K video capture and phase detection AF, but has to make do without an optical image stabilization system.

Comments

Agree

I bought this phone and as a phone it's great. However, given that I have an 808 I'm really fed up that the camera was given such amazing reviews as it really swayed my opinion. 6 months along and I already want a new phone but how can you make a decision when sites that look like they are giving genuine reviews rate this sub standard samsung gadget phone so much higher than my 808?

First replies for this comment

Re: Agree

Re: Agree

Quote:

<div id="linkdxomark">This a comment for <a href="http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Samsung-Galaxy-S5-overview-Joint-leader-in-DxOMark-Mobile-rankings">this page on the website</a></div>I bought this phone and as a phone it's great. However, given that I have an 808 I'm really fed up that the camera was given such amazing reviews as it really swayed my opinion. 6 months along and I already want a new phone but how can you make a decision when sites that look like they are giving genuine reviews rate this sub standard samsung gadget phone so much higher than my 808?

Hi,Thank your for your interest in DxOMark, and for your feedback. We will soon publish a comparison between the iPhone 6 and the Nokia 1020. These reviews should help you understand the difference between those two devices' performances (GS5 vs 808). Basically, the DxOMark score is the combination of both photo and video scores. On a video quality perspective, the 808 is rated quite low compared to other devices like Apple iPhone 6 or Samsung GS5. Make sure you stay tuned for further information.

SincerelyFor still score are very close (808 is one of the best and scores highger than the GS5 (81 vs 79)

Re: not serious

Re: not serious

Hi , Thank you for your interest in DxOMark, and for your question. The Xenon 808 flash was a bit disappointing on the tested device. We noticed a pretty high fall off in images (actually close to other devices with different flash technologies) and some tuning troubles like a slight color cast for mixed lighting conditions. All in one, we think that the technology is great but should be better tuned.